FOUNT

In the liturgical calendar, the Advent season kicks off the year as we wait for the arrival of our savior in the form of a baby. There are few things on earth that feel as holy and human as our waiting, and God meets us in whatever waiting season we are part of. How do we make the most of our time and create markers of holy moments while we wait? In this week's Leadership Lesson, Creative Director Carter Gekiere shares three ways you can make the most out of this Advent season.

Genealogies in the Bible are often skipped over, but they are divinely inspired and intentional. Jesus, fully God and fully human, born into the lineage of other humans, reveals incredible truths about God's plan. In this week's message from our series, Like Us, Pastor Ryan brings to light the significance of Jesus' genealogy, reminding us of the incredible ways God's purpose prevails even in the imperfections of humanity, giving us hope this Advent season.

Your waiting is one of the most holiest things you can experience. When we don't wait well, we lose sight of what the actual promise is. Jesus is the greatest gift, and the one who gives the promise is much better than seeing the promise fulfilled. At this month's ALLIN, Pastor Ryan Schlachter speaks on the life of Simeon and the beauty behind wiating.

Jesus is familiar with loneliness and hardships, but provides a pathway of hope for all to enter into. In this week's Leadership Lesson, Pastor Ryan Schlachter gives practical tips on how to find hope through stories, worship, and trusting in God.

In His incarnation, Jesus not only identified with our humanity but also revealed the true essence of what it means to be human. As we begin Advent in our Like Us series, Pastor Ryan Schlachter highlights the deep significance of our Savior's arrival on earth — inviting us to ask, What does it truly mean for us to be fully human, just as He intended?

Children often ask insightful questions about their environments and how things work, but often we lose that curiosity as we grow up. In our relationship with God, it can become easy to have a diminished curiosity, but there is so much value in asking God questions and sharing in life with him. In this week's Leadership Lesson, Kids Ministry Director Steph Rivas shares three ways to reignite curiosity in your faith today.

We are invited to live in God's house as celebrated, loved children. Joyful and free, to ultimately become like the Father to a hurting world: generous, patient, welcoming, gracious and full of mercy. Through Jesus, we are empowered and propelled into the good works he's created in advance for us to do. In this Sunday's message, Pastor Kathryn Myers surfaces a soul-piercing question from this parable: will we mindfully say yes everyday to the many invitations God is extending us?

On this week's Leadership Lesson, Pastor Ryan Schlachter talks about the importance of faithfulness that is only shaped over time. While our culture places importance on instant growth, 2 Peter 1 states that we have everything we need by His divine power—and growth occurs through incremental steps faithfulness.

Ecclesiastes states that life is fleeing, like a vapor. What we do with our life matters, and we have the opportunity to waste it or to invest it. We have a responsibility to be intentional with the time God has given us. Instead of spending our time chasing accolades and worldly success, He invites us to use it to sow into the eternal. In this week's message, guest speaker Micah McElveen encourages us on ways to steward our lives here on earth.

As followers of Jesus, our identity is not defined by achievements, influence, or anything of worldly value. Above all, we are sons and daughters of God, graced with a unique purpose. We are entrusted with gifts and responsibilities, and how we respond to these reveals the condition of our hearts. In our series, Wasted Grace, Pastor Luis Guerrero uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to guide us in understanding what it means to live a life that recognizes God's grace and embraces the purpose He has given each of us.